Decubitis ulcers, bed sores, and irritant diaper dematitis (IDD) occurs when continuous pressure, temperature, and body waste such as urine is in prolonged contact with skin. Deucbitis ulcers and bed sores are more frequent with the elderly or diabetic patients in home such as nursing homes or actute care facilities. IDD occurs frequently in babies due the sensitive nature of their skin. Frequent and prolonged skin contact with stool due to fecal incontinence and diarrhea are high risk factors for severe IDD. Many of these risks can be overcome by recent innovations in absorbent article technology, including absorbent articles having superabsorbent layers, reduced skin wetness, and superior pH control. The prevention of urine in contact with skin for a prolonged period, however, still poses a challenge. For instance, many absorbent articles include hydrophobic liquid permeable inner layers that permit urine to pass through the layer so that the urine does not contact the skin even after multiple insults. However, many of these absorbent articles fail to completely protect the user against prolonged contact of body waste with the skin.
Absorbent articles such as bed pads, diapers, training pants, incontinence products, feminine hygiene products, swim undergarments, and the like conventionally include a liquid permeable body-side liner, a liquid impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent core. The absorbent core is typically located in between the outer cover and the liner for taking in and retaining liquids (e.g., urine) exuded by the wearer. Various types of moisture or wetness indicators have been suggested for use with absorbent articles. These wetness indicators, however, are complicated, costly and add additional burdens to an already overloaded caregiver.
The present invention provides a simple and cost effective signaling device configured to detect the presence of moisture in a bed pad, absorbent article and/or in an undergarment. The signaling device wirelessly and/or visually provides notification to a nursing station and/or caregiver that an insult has occurred, thereby speeding up the response time for patient care. Alerting the care staff to perform timely pad/absorbent article changes reduces pad/absorbent article dermatitis/rash that can ultimately lead to skin issues. These alerts can be documented by time/date stamps that are automatically logged into a web portal that is managed by the healthcare facility or personal caregiver with the intention of providing statistical data as to when an event occurred and how long that patient was exposed to the insult before they receive attention.